Susquehanna Township School District seeks stronger ties to faith groups

Some Susquehanna Township churches accepted an invitation to break bread with Susquehanna Township School District officials, hoping to offer encouragement and support toward their shared constituency – the children and families they see in classrooms and pews.

For the first time, district officials hosted a “faith-based breakfast” at their

From left, Susquehanna Township School District Athletic Director Michael Knill, the Rev. Joel Petruschke of Our Savior Lutheran Church and the Rev. John Stoeckle of First Alliance Church introduce themselves at the district's first faith-based breakfast.

administrative building on Tuesday. Representatives from every faith institution within township boundaries were invited to mingle over eggs and coffee while learning more about district initiatives.

“This is a nice way to network with the community, and the churches in the area are partners with us,” Kegerise said. “We have to cultivate that. Their parishioners are our students.”

The outreach to faith institutions dovetails with strengthened business partnerships, Kegerise said.

“Families are really involved in churches and schools, so to mesh the two makes a lot of sense,” she said.

Pastor Richard Geib, of Tree of Life Lutheran Church, said that schools and churches are “similarly connected to the community.”

“We’re people who hear an awful lot about what’s happening in our schools,” he said. “It’s good to get a chance to hear from school leaders about what’s happening.”

Featured speaker Steve Korr explained the district’s recent implementation of restorative practices, a disciplinary approach stressing mutual respect. Community engagement is essential to restorative practices because it “shapes human behavior and how people interact with one another,” said Korr, a program trainer and consultant.

“Having these churches here today is wonderful,” he said.

Ben Kreps, pastoral intern with Living Hope Church, is familiar with the district because his congregation meets every Sunday at Susquehanna Township Middle School. He said he attended the breakfast to find ways to serve the school, “because we’re already there.”

“We try to be good tenants on Sunday, but I’ve often wondered is there even more we could do to serve the valuable work of teaching and helping kids,” he said.

The district’s invitation was a “pleasant surprise” to the Rev. John Stoeckle, pastor of First Alliance Church. He said he’d been thinking about getting involved in schools in a “non-adversarial way.”

“I come from an evangelical position, and too often, it’s been issues like evolution and what kind of books are being read,” he said. “I’m not interested in those issues as much as how we can help the community to flourish. I think we can bring support. I think we can bring energy. I think we can bring encouragement.”

His church might consider such help as after-school programs, tutoring, or art and music lessons to help ease budget pressures, Stoeckle said.

Mario Witt, youth pastor at Greater Zion Missionary Baptist Church, attended the breakfast because his pastor, the Rev. Dr. Charles R. Meile Jr., couldn’t attend. Meile claimed last fall that the district had barred pastors from supporting families in disciplinary proceedings, but Witt said the breakfast and other talks with district officials are showing possibilities for “our visible presence in the school.”

“The partnership is what’s going to make a difference,” he said. “It’s a support system for the school. We want to be available. I’m excited about it.”

District Communications Director Susan Anthony said the invitation list for the district’s “first foray” into formalized faith networking focused on organizations with buildings in the township. All 29 were Christian churches. About half accepted the invitation.

“In the future, it’s hopefully expanded to include congregants (of non-township institutions) as well as leaders with institutions in the geography of the township,” Anthony said.

Future outreach could include township businesses and youth-serving nonprofits, she said.